What Can You Do to Protect Our Drinking Water? Take the Great Healthy Backyard Pledge.

Longer days are a harbinger of spring, and for many of us that means gearing up for work in our yards and gardens. Gardens raise our spirits and feed our souls. But what you may not realize is that what you do on your land has far-reaching implications.

A vibrant green, weed-free lawn is not necessarily a healthy lawn. This “perfect look” usually means homeowners (or landscapers) are using synthetic pesticides, weed killers and fertilizers. All of those chemicals eventually make their way into our underground aquifer, the source of our drinking water. In fact, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says homeowners use up to 10 times more chemicals per acre than farmers do.We now know that very small amounts of these chemicals can adversely affect human health. It can cause problems as diverse as Autism, ADHD, diabetes and cancer.

The Land Alliance’s primary purpose is to protect the land that protects our drinking water. Growing awareness about this serious problem of chemicals helps educate people and drives action that improves the lives of our community.